RE: [DMCForum] Re: Clash of the Titans... (Dave's Engine)

["Dave Stragand" <dave.stragand@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

No beach salt.  It's been in Western PA its whole life.  Most of it is dust and grime from sitting 17 years with the hood up.

The car was restored in 1986, and then driven only three times after that.

I figure I'm just going to replace everything though anyway - starter, alternator, water pump, a/c compressor, carb, brakes, suspension, etc.  Advance auto has the parts obnoxiously cheap. (Starter, alternator, rebuilt calipers - all less than $30 each).  It's part of the GM everything-is-the same-for 30-years era, so parts are abundant.  For less that $1000, I'll be able to replace all of the normal failure items.

Factory specs on the engine are 525 ft-lbs of torque, and 375 HP.  The HP was conservatively rated though (insurance reasons) - car magazines of the day tested the engine at 420-450 HP.  "The largest V8 engine to date appeared in 1968 when Cadillac unveiled their 472 in³ version. This huge engine delivered 375 hp (280 kW) but specialized in torque, with 525 ft-lb (712 Nm) produced at just 3000 RPM. The power rating was conservative, however, as the engine could produce at least 420 hp (313 kW) in the real world."

The 500, while larger, was lower compression and generally delivered less power.

Often times I have seen the '68/'69 Cadillac referred to as "the muscle car in a tuxedo".  As big & heavy as it was, it could definitely hold its own with the smaller musclecars of the era.

-Dave

________________________________________
From: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of content22207
Sent: Friday, September 09, 2005 11:21 PM
To: DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [DMCForum] Re: Clash of the Titans... (Dave's Engine)

Haven't seen all the pics (I'm dialup -- unemployed cost savings) but
from what I have seen the engine compartment seems victimized by beach
salt. Road salt usually isn't as pervasive (is heavy, so damage is
limited to wherever it can be slung). Beach salt is airborne and gets
into EVERYTHING.

If this car has been on a coast somewhere, do not be surprised if the
electrical system is pretty badly eaten up. If you ever need to open
the dash, replace as many wiring harness connectors and switches as
possible while you're in there.

And don't forget that instrumentation is electrically driven too.
Beach cars eventually lose their speedometers, gauges, dash clocks,
etc. Of course by then the body is pretty badly shot as well.

Regarding the 460: GM never did beat its torque (in factory trim).
Only the Cadillac 500 matched it @ 480 ft lbs. These are 1970 numbers
of course (high compression). I do believe the Cadillac engine is
slightly lighter (25-30 lbs maybe?).

I pick at the poor Chevy owners, but in all honesty GM's 350 is an
engine to be respected, for durability if nothing else. And parts
availability is absolutely bewildering. The original 351C is a fine
engine, but it never attained the reputation of the 350 (shifts in
public attitude doomed the 351M400 even before it got out of the
starting gate).

And I take my hat off to GM's 1977 redesign of the B Body platform.
They hit the ground running with a nearly fault free design (totally
unchanged for 15 years of production). Even my beloved Mark IV/V
series can't match that (8 years).

Bill Robertson
#5939

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